Top 10 Fallout 76 Issues We Don't Want to See in Fallout 5 (Topic)

It's been almost two weeks since Fallout 76 was released, but it's still hard to believe how unpolished and far from the basics of the series the game turned out to be. It is even more frightening to realize that a potential Fallout 5, the release of which we have no doubt about, will repeat the mistakes of the "seventy-sixth" and forever bury the famous franchise. That is why, as fans of the series, we decided to write about the ten main problems of the game. Now is the time, because after the release of Fallout 76, Bethesda is collecting community feedback that could form the basis for a new game in the legendary RPG series.

1. Primitive plot

All three-dimensional "Fallouts" from Bethesda have always started according to a single template - with the search for an important character. In Fallout 3, we get out into the radioactive wastelands to find our father, in Fallout 4, the role changes a little, and now we are looking for a son and finally Fallout 76, where we are looking for a caretaker. Despite the general simplicity, the plot of the third and fourth parts captured the player, introduced them to extraordinary characters and allowed them to make ambiguous decisions. What do we have in Fallout 76? Race after the faceless watchman, not a single unexpected plot twist or even a tiny piano in the bushes, and for dessert - the opportunity to arrange a local apocalypse, bombing the wasteland with a nuclear warhead. Not bad for a Korean MMO, but expecting something more from Fallout.

2. Monotonous tasks

The Fallout series has always been famous for its unusual tasks, the outcome of which largely depended on the characteristics of the SPECIAL, perks and player skills. Fallout 76 uses a versatile leveling system mainly in order to give a refugee the opportunity to more effectively deal with radioactive creatures or find the most valuable trash in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The outcome of tasks does not depend on the player's parameters at all, and often quests are analogous to random Radiant quests from Skyrim, except with a short plot justification. The goals are always the same - to go "somewhere", kill "someone" and take "something" - a real Groundhog Day, from which only the removal of the Fallout 76 game can save.

3. No NPCs

Since the announcement at E3 2018, Todd Howard's decision to completely exclude NPCs from Fallout 76 has been criticized. Can computer terminals tell exciting stories and fill the world with liveliness, convince of its authenticity? It turned out that no, they cannot. Rare extra-robots, too, could not replace the lack of detailed NPCs. All that remains is to be content with randomly discovered travelers from Vault 76, who often behave not like intelligent representatives of Homo Sapiens, but rabid raiders who see you as just a new pack of loot. And the funny thing is that the 24-player limit on the Fallout 76 server turns an already lifeless wasteland into a real desert.

4. Combat system VATS and AI opponents

3D Fallouts have always had a vulnerable Achilles' heel - the combat system. Whichever Fallout you play, combat has always felt like a real clumsy dinosaur, another thing is that in the series, the combat component was given a secondary place, and Fallout New Vegas could never be played without using weapons.

Another thing is the game Fallout 76, the passage of which cannot be completed without spending dozens of hours in exhausting skirmishes, due to which the shortcomings of the combat system have become even more evident. VATS has completely lost all its advantages and looks like a stump from the auto-aiming system from the consoles. AI opponents is another reason why combat only causes bouts of boredom and irritation. Obviously, 25 years since the beginning of the radioactive bombardment were not in vain for the local fauna, turning those into slow-witted people who, with their intellectual abilities, can compete only with unicellular amoebas.

5. Inconvenient inventory

Another big problem in Fallout 76 is the awkward inventory, in which various items are dumped in a chaotic mountain of garbage, which can be a real challenge to find the required item in the inventory. Fallout 4 sinned with a similar problem, but the "seventy-sixth" raises this disadvantage to a new level of discomfort due to the mechanics of survival and the inability to pause the game. Getting a bullet in the head while (after) trying to find clean water in the game by scouring the inventory is a common, unremarkable phenomenon. By the way, some of the problems with the interface have already been solved by craftsmen in a fresh fashion for Fallout 76

6. Little post-game content

According to the developers, it will take about 150 hours to complete Fallout 76. It is quite possible to agree with this, since a world 3 times larger than Fallout 4 in a day cannot be bypassed, you cannot listen to all the holotapes and you cannot collect all the trash. But already in 40 hours of playing, you can easily reach the maximum level and come to the realization that in fact there is nothing to do in the game except collecting loot. The only entertainment available to players with the maximum level is the launch of nuclear warheads, the destruction of high-level opponents and the selection of valuable equipment. This approach almost completely cuts off all incentives to continue playing Fallout 76.

7. PvP mechanics

Bethesda cared so much about players who didn't want to engage in skirmishes with other players that they simply destroyed the PvP mechanics. It's worth starting at least with low damage that you inflict on another player if he does not want to enter a duel. And if you still manage to send him to Valhalla, you risk becoming the number one criminal, you get a black brand on the server and each player can get a minor bonus for killing your character, and in return you will receive only a small bunch of junk. The problem with the PvP mechanics in Fallout 76 is its imbalance. While encouraging one group of gamers, the developers completely forgot about the other side, and after all, PvP is one of the main elements of multiplayer survivors in the open world.

8. Console building system

When you decide that it is time to put together a cozy nest in the radioactive wasteland, the game here puts a spoke in the wheel. The first-person construction system in the PC version of Fallout 76 is made at a decent level, not perfect, but you can play it. But when it comes to consoles, this is the real horror of an architect. The controls from the gamepad are so clumsy that I immediately recall the "expectation vs reality" meme when I planned to build a picturesque fortress, and the result is a barrack in the style of expressionism with walls flying in the air and stairs leading to nowhere.

9. Download speed on consoles

Another problem facing console players in Fallout 76 is the extremely slow downloads. When you enter each new location, you can literally turn gray and grow old while you wait for the location to load. The disadvantage is further aggravated by a bug when, after loading, you wait for a few more seconds when you can control the hero, while the surrounding mutants beat the player with a barrage of blows. And I don’t want to talk about the moment that downloads in Open-world games are a real bad manners in 2018.

10. BUGS

The most important cherry on the radioactive cake in Fallout 76 are ubiquitous bugs. Broken scripts, crashes with dropping to the desktop, graphical artifacts and performance drops signal that this is not just a beta, but an alpha test of the game for $ 60. It feels like Bethesda decided to save money on the testing department and assigned the responsibility for catching bugs to its own players. There can be no excuses here at all, for such an attitude towards Bethesda's own audience should be ashamed. However, judging by the first and extremely modest sales data, developers will now think three times in order to once again release such an unpolished product to the market.

Fallout 76 is a real disaster and a black spot on Bethesda's reputation, so you need to talk loudly about the shortcomings of the game, maybe even boycott the sales of the game until it is brought into proper condition, at least technically. Vote with your wallet is the best way to keep developers' sense and prevent potential Fallout 5, The Elder Scrolls VI, or Sratfield from repeating the fate of Fallout 76.

You can also check out our Fallout 76 review and guide to help you survive in the radioactive wasteland.

The Topic of Article: Top 10 Fallout 76 Issues We Don't Want to See in Fallout 5.
Author: Jake Pinkman